Staged by Cornelia and Michael Davis, the beautiful-looking Audio Federation assemblage consisted of the Acapella Audio One music server ($6875), Audio Note UK DAC Five Signature ($98,355), Acapella LaMusika integrated amplifier ($110,000), new 93" tall, 450lb Acapella Audio Arts Campanile 2 loudspeakers ($66,500/pair) with an updated spherical horn midrange (95dB at 8 ohms), and Acapella and Audio Note UK…
The rear panel features a pair of high-quality, gold-plated RCA output…
My reference playback system has remained nearly constant for the past year, providing a stable platform on which to audition and compare digital processors. I auditioned the four processors reviewed in this issue under identical conditions and at matched levels. Additionally, the reference playback system has remained nearly constant for the past year, providing a stable platform on which to audition and compare digital processors. The converters under review fed an Audio Research LS2 line-stage preamplifier, which in turn drove a Mark Levinson No.23.5 power…
Like other PS Audio processors, the Digital Link II has a high output voltage—3.6V when decoding a full-scale, 1kHz sinewave. Output impedance was extraordinarily low, measuring 2.1 ohms at 20Hz, increasing only slightly to 2.6 ohms at 20kHz. This combination of high output voltage and low output impedance makes the Digital Link II ideal for use with passive level controls.
The Digital Link II's frequency response (fig.1) showed a gradual but rather early HF rolloff, being down 0.2dB at 10kHz and 0.6dB at 20kHz. This was very similar to the Sigma's rolloff…
Description: 18-bit, 8x-oversampling D/A converter. Inputs: one coaxial (RCA jack), one optical (Toslink jack). Outputs: one unbalanced stereo pair. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.5dB. THD: <0.01%.
Dimensions: 17" W by 2.5" H by 7.25" D. Weight: 11 lb.
Price: $499 (1992); no longer available (2019). Approximate number of dealers: 160. Warranty: 3 years parts and labor, transferrable.
Manufacturer: PS Audio Inc., Grover City, CA 93483 (1992); PS Audio, 4865 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO, 80301 (2019). Tel: (720) 406-8946. Web: www.psaudio.com.…
There are no fasteners showing except those on the bottom and backplate, and the hefty unit feels solid as a rock. The faceplate—finished in black or silver—and bottom are…
Slapping on a set of Harmonix RF-11s once again cleaned up a touch of sssssibilance on this recording, oddly more apparent on Disque 2 zhan on zuh Disque 1. But what a great CD! You don't…
I auditioned the Timbre through the same playback system described in my review of the Exposure XVII preamplifier elsewhere in this issue. I listened to the Timbre on its own and in direct comparisons with the Sonic Frontiers SFD-2, in both balanced and single-ended modes. The following observations were made by listening to both processors' balanced outputs.
From the outset, I was impressed by the Timbre. Although the TT-1 sounded very different from the SFD-2, it had some appealing qualities. The most salient of the Timbre's strengths was its…
I consider it my stunning good fortune to have auditioned the Timbre Technology TT-1 DAC with three Totally Drop-Your-Sox transports: the Forsell Air Bearing, the C.E.C. TL 1 Belt-Drive Gold Robbie the Robot (well, it looks like a Japanese robot to us), and the "Champagne Wishes, Caviar Dreams" Esoteric/TEAC VRDS P2S, $7k the pop. In many ways, the Tale of the Timbre was also the Tale of Three Transports. One of the more amusing pranks I've enjoyed playing on acquaintances, both audiophile and otherwise, has been to play a CD on one of these benchmark…